The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-09-02
NATURAL GAS IN TOLEDO.

A Correction of Some Glaring Instantaneous
Made by an Indianapolis Paper.
Toledo Commercial.
The Indianapolis newspapers are bent just
now upon keeping the Standard Oil Company out
of that CITY. The Standard has applied for
natural-gas franchise. and the local newspa pers,
faithful guardians of the peoples interests, are
writing long and thrilling editorials in which
the terms octopus" STONY hearted monopoly"
and the like prominent. Now can
heartily sympathize with our esteemed Indian
apolis contemporaries in the fight they max
ing. We have been through it all ourselves.
The Standard Oil Company is a heartless cor
poraton, and will derive tire last advantage pos
sible from any agreement it may enter in to with
another corporation, municipal or otherwise.
But would have our esteemed indianapolis
con temporaries to understand that when they
point to Toledo, they doing evil
dence of the fact that to intrust natural gas
franchise to.the Standard OIL Company is to
stamp out competition and is permission to
that company to gather up every thing in the gas
line our esteemed contemporaries are wrong
The privileges that have been granted the nat
ural gas companies in Toledo were given in
sponse to an unmistakable public opinion which
the an bers of the city council. though some of
them were personally opposed to the measures
did not feel they could ignore The public
tlment was the result or thought and lnvestiRa-
ton the part of citizens. who came to the con-
clusion that the gas companies asking for a fran
chise offered the city advantages which were not
forthcoming from other sources, and that the
privileges they asked for did not constitute
monopoly, did not endanger competition or leave
a chance for permanent fixed charges beyond
what would allow a fair profit to the companies.
The citizens of Toledo abou careful and
sagacious in business matters be found
anywhere, and they have not. by any means,
come to an agreement among themselves that
they were hasty or lacking in common sense in
what they did. If the Standard Oil Company
are trying to claim more than they deserve from
the Indianapolis people, the Indianapolis papers
have hearty sympathy and encouragement
in trying to prevent 1t, but IL is not proper
gument TO adduce the example of Toledos stu
fhrnu frer Golf 9rfn ha
arms of the octopus" to warn the people of In
danapolis against committing themselves TO
similar condition of things condition which the
Indianapolis papers are pleased TO represent as
being very bad in Toledo.
We have before us a clipping from the Indi-
annapolis News of Monday, Aug. %. The article
is headed ''Toledos Octopus" The article
tans an interview with Mr. NJ K. Hyman, of
the Herald of that city, who came to Toledo
pecially TO make examination of our gas sup
ply. This able investigator. from all he could
learn. evidently went away laDoring under the
impression that natural gas has been consumed
in Toledo for months and was yielding a hand
some revenue TO the octopus corporations.
Says he:
1.-The Standard Company is making Toledo
nav for its own mains. too. Only limited
mileage of mains put down first The
earnings from these for each month are imme-
diately put into extensions of pipes and no orig
inal capital is employed very small amount
of foreign money has been utilized"
OF course this watchful guardian of his eitys
interests finds that Toledo thinks there is
economy in the of gas at the Standards
rates" and cites the testimony of Toledo people
said to have gas in their houses, who. il is need
less 10 say, have not commenced to use gas. and
who as stated by one of them to q representa-